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Environmental Justice and Community Partnerships
Faith in Action:
Communities of Faith Bring Hope for the Planet
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Sierra Club is proud to present its first ever national report on the environmental engagement of communities of faith, "Faith in Action: Communities of Faith Bring Hope for the Planet." Highlighting one exceptional faithbased environmental initiative from each of the fifty states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, "Faith in Action" demonstrates the breadth, depth and diversity of spiritually motivated grassroots efforts to protect the planet.
Sierra Club applauds the growing level of commitment and leadership among people of faith working to connect environmental awareness with widely shared values including stewardship, justice, and concern for future generations. We also recognize that lasting social change rarely takes place without the active engagement of communities of faith.
Environmental concerns continue to rise in prominence on the agenda of the faithful, with no sign of receding. As the implications of global warming and its disproportionate impact on the world's poor become increasingly clear, prophetic voices are being raised in religious communities around the globe. In the United States, 67 percent of Americans say they care about the environment because it is "God's creation."
Faith groups highlighted in this report lead the way in crafting creative and promising solutions to tremendous environmental challenges. Religious leaders and lay persons alike are "greening" all areas of religious life, including worship, education, community life, buildings and grounds, and increasingly engaging in grassroots education and organizing.
In addition to crafting solutions to global warming, these groups also work to protect water quality and access, protect wilderness and endangered species, stop mountain-top removal coal mining and develop creative solutions to our nation's unsustainable and inequitable food systems.